New research may finally reveal the last resting place of Jesus Christ and the EXACT date of his burial after scientists gained unprecedented access to a tomb in Jerusalem.

His presumed burial place - at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - has been steeped in controversy because the building has suffered violent attacks, fires, and earthquakes for many centuries.

But the marble structure supposedly built around the tomb to protect it was recently restored, giving scientists unprecedented access and they found that construction materials used date to Roman times.

The results of scientific tests, seen by National Geographic , appear to confirm that the remains of a limestone cave enshrined within the church are remnants of the tomb located by ancient Romans and identified as the burial site of Jesus.

And the findings will be explored in a new film, called Secrets of Christ’s Tomb, which premieres in the UK on the National Geographic Channel, 25 December at 9pm.

Scientists believe they can uncover new details about Jesus' resting place (Image: Getty Images Europe)

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Mortar sampled from between the original limestone surface of the tomb and a marble slab that covers it has been dated to around A.D. 345.

A delegation sent from Rome approximately 17 centuries ago identified the site as Jesus' tomb and built a marble structure - known as the Edicule - around it.

But the church was completely destroyed in 1009 and subsequently rebuilt, leading modern scholars to question whether it could possibly be the actual site or still contain the tomb.

The date of Jesus Christ's burial may be discovered by scientists (Image: Getty)

It is still archaeologically impossible to say that the tomb is the burial site of a Jew known as Jesus of Nazareth, who according to New Testament accounts was crucified in Jerusalem in 30 or 33.

But new dating results put the original construction of today's tomb complex securely in the time of Constantine, Rome's first Christian emperor.

The tomb opened for the first time in centuries in October 2016, when the shrine that encloses the tomb underwent a significant restoration by an interdisciplinary team from the National Technical University of Athens.